United SkyWest Jet Makes Emergency Landing At LAX

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — A jetliner landed safely Monday at Los Angeles International Airport after its landing gear failed to fully deploy, according to reports.

The left wing of the United SkyWest regional jet scraped the ground on Runway 24 Left around 8:23 a.m. after its left landing gear failed to fully deploy, according the FAA.

Officials said 40 passengers and three crew members were on board the aircraft, which took off from Monterey at 7:14 a.m., the Associated Press reported.

Live video appeared to show the Bombardier CRJ200’s left landing gear didn’t deploy as it came down. Smoke could be seen coming from that side of the aircraft as it dragged along the runway and skidded to a stop.

Passengers exited the aircraft upon landing and were being placed on buses to be taken to the United terminal, according to LAFD spokesman Erik Scott.

“We were a little nervous, it was very fast,” said passenger Dennis Thanass. “Soon as we missed the airport the first time, we knew they were gonna dump the fuel, and they flew by the tower to make sure the wheels were up or down.”

Passenger Traci Reid said she was surprised, however, the landing wasn’t more violent, and credited the pilot’s expertise.

“Actually, this is what was amazing about the pilot was it was an incredibly smooth landing. I would say it was actually smoother than some of the landings I’ve had with all of the landing gear down,” Reid said.

“If you take a look at the aerial photos, you can actually see the plane tilting a little bit, but our airport response firefighter vehicles were there, ready for it,” LAX spokeswoman Mary Grady said.

“A SkyWest regional jet was unable to extend its left main landing gear and landed on Runway 24L with the gear retracted,” said Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration in a statement.

SkyWest Airlines released the following statement: “SkyWest Flight 5316 operating as United Express from Monterey to Los Angeles safely conducted an emergency landing in Los Angeles after the left main landing gear failed to extend. All 40 passengers and three crew members safely deplaned. Mechanics will inspect the aircraft to determine what may have caused the issue.”

LAX says six flights cancelled delayed or diverted because of the emergency landing. LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles said there were “no significant impacts to LAX operations” following the incident.

The plane has been moved into a hanger at the airport, where it will be inspected by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the airline.